A number of wildfires are burning in western Colorado and the high country after high winds, heat and dry conditions moved into the region over the weekend.
The Willow fire started Sunday near the base of Mount Massive in Lake County, and evacuations are in place for campers and hikers near Turquoise Lake west of Leadville.
As of Sunday evening the fire had burned more than 1,000 acres, and roads, campgrounds and trails around the lake are closed and being evacuated. Evacuation and preevacuation orders are in effect, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Management. The cause has not been announced.
In southwestern Colorado, the Ferris fire north of Cortez has burned more than 10,600 acres in Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest as of Sunday evening. It started Saturday and is being driven by high winds, which were strong enough to suspend air operations Sunday afternoon. Officials with the San Juan National Forest said aircraft flew for a short time Sunday and retardants were used at Benchmark and around Glade Ranch before operations were suspended.
Officials said firefighters “made good progress” on the south end of the Doe Canyon fire, which also started Saturday nearby and has burned roughly 1,050 acres as of Sunday afternoon.
Lightning is suspected to have started both wildfires.
Shortly after noon Sunday, Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the Gold Mountain fire, which had burned an estimated 572 acres in steep, rugged terrain northwest Ouray.
The lightning-caused Red Rock fire near Debeque was reported Saturday morning on BLM-managed lands about 12 miles northeast of Grand Junction on the Book Cliffs near Red Rock Canyon.
By Sunday afternoon, crews kept the fire to about 340 acres with 60% containment.
Three federal firefighters were killed Saturday in Mesa County when a wind-driven Snyder wildfire trapped them. Two others were injured. The three deaths accompanied an explosive night of fire activity as high winds buffeted small, lightning-started wildfires. The firefighters with the Forest Service and U.S. Wildland Fire Service deployed their shelters as fire overtook their position.